1
as in played
to engage in activity for amusement
he spent his college years dallying, seemingly determined to acquire as little knowledge as possible
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2
as in lingered
to move or act slowly
don't dally on the way to the interview
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3
as in flirted
to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun
she spent the summer dallying with a guy renting the neighboring beach house
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4
as in dawdled
to spend time doing nothing
I kept dallying at my desk until I couldn't put off doing my work any longer
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for dallied
Verb
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When Doncic played for the Dallas Mavericks and led them to the 2024 NBA Finals, his two centers — Derek Lively and Daniel Gafford — were exceptional in their roles as lob threats, blocking shots and rolling to the rim.
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The rivalry is so intense that overnight in Mexico, fans played instruments, sang, and made as much noise as possible outside the Ecuador team hotel to deprive the squad of sleep.
Verb
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After being denied by Cuba, the ship approached Florida and lingered offshore, so close the passengers could see the lights of Miami.
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Steven Rinella's symptoms, on the other hand, lingered for months, leaving him unable to walk down stairs without a handrail or to ride a bike.
Verb
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Banks first flirted with a version of the movie back in 2020, when it was set up at Universal.
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Antetokounmpo, the league’s Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2020, has reportedly flirted with trade requests for much of the last year.
Verb
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But, lucky for anyone who dawdled, many of the deals are still active.
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Flight attendants turned into drill sergeants, barking at passengers who flouted mask rules or dawdled too long eating that snack with the mask off.
Verb
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Four years later — after the Broncos had toyed unsuccessfully with finding his replacement — Morton teamed with a new coach, his former Cowboys teammate Dan Reeves.
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Four years later — and after the Broncos had toyed unsuccessfully with finding his replacement — Morton teamed with a new coach, his former Cowboys teammate Dan Reeves.
Verb
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Tuesday night’s showdown with Ecuador was delayed by an hour because of lightning.
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First, a five-year closing process delayed the project, which was supposed to be completed by 2021.
Verb
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In the living room, a tabby cat with a clipped ear lounged on a velvet couch, her front paws propping open an illustrated catalogue of military aircraft.
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The couple giggled between kisses and lounged on a red-and-white picnic blanket while overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
Verb
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But as the crisis dragged on over six days and pressure from the families of the hostages grew, Israeli leaders gradually became more open to talks, according to a summary of the files released by the Israel State Archives.
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Around Christmas 2024 the Estlink 2 cable between Finland and Estonia went down after a shadow-fleet tanker, the Eagle S, dragged its anchor across the seabed.
Cite this Entry
“Dallied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dallied. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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